The Independent National Electoral Commission says more than 2.5 million Nigerians have taken advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise by completing their online pre-registration.
According to the commission, as of August 31, 2025, a total of 2,532,062 Nigerians had successfully pre-registered on the INEC portal.
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, made this known in a statement on Tuesday.
“The exercise, which began on Monday, 18th August 2025, has recorded encouraging participation. By the end of the second week, over 2.5 million Nigerians had completed their online pre-registration,” Olumekun said.
He explained that youths remain the dominant demographic, with 1,602,484 registrants between the ages of 18 and 34, representing 63.29 per cent of the total. Women also slightly outnumber men in the process, with 1,313,580 registrants compared to 1,218,482 males
Olumekun, however, stressed that the online registration is only the first step.
“All online pre-registrants must appear physically at our designated centres to complete their registration by providing fingerprints and facial biometric details. Without this, the process is invalid,” he warned.
Figures released by INEC showed that Osun State is leading with 474,372 pre-registrations, followed by Lagos with 355,372 and Ogun with 265,399. The Federal Capital Territory recorded 152,250, while Borno and Oyo registered 135,661 and 128,231 respectively.
Meanwhile, in-person registration, which commenced on August 25, 2025, has also gained traction. Within the first five days, 72,274 Nigerians either completed their pre-registration or enrolled afresh.
“The turnout so far is impressive, and we appreciate civic groups and organisations that have mobilised citizens for this important exercise,” Olumekun noted.
In Osun State, where the figures sparked controversy, INEC dismissed allegations by the African Democratic Congress that the numbers were manipulated.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mutiu Agboke, through his spokesperson Musa Olurode, insisted the figures reflect Osun’s strong tradition of civic engagement.
“The claim of statistical implausibility is false. Osun people have consistently shown commitment to electoral participation, and this should be celebrated rather than discredited,” Agboke stated.
INEC urged political parties to channel their energies into sensitisation rather than making unfounded allegations.
“This is the path of responsibility and patriotism expected of registered political parties in a democracy,” the commission added.
